Endangered: 2 Columbus Circle

The National Historical Trust announced the eleven most endangered historic places in America and one of them was in New York: 2 Columbus Circle, that weird looking building south of Columbus Circle. The Historic Trust admits that the design is "controversial," calling it a "nationally recognized icon of the Modern Movement," with "a marble skin, porthole windows and a street-level arcade that critics have likened to a row of lollipops, the unorthodox building is radically different from the glass-and-steel boxes typical of its era." While the space, long vacated, is slated to be the new Museum of Art and Design, the Historic Trust is worried that new plans to renovate the building (by Brad Cloepfil) will "rob America of an engagingly quirky icon of the recent past." Gothamist has never been a huge fan of 2 Columbus Circle - there's quirky, and then there's ugly, but, then again, maybe we're reacting to stench of urine from underneath the scaffolding there - but considering the addition of the Time Warner Center and the looming Trump International across the street, keeping some signs of what Columbus Circle used to be might be a good idea.

Architect Edward Durrell Stone also designed the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Learn more about NYC's landmarks through the NYC Landmarks Commission and Conservancy. And also on the National Historic Trust's list of endangered historic places: The state of Vermont.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on May 25, 2004 8:48 AM

Comments [rss]

Benjamin

I think 2 Columbus Cirlce is an attractive building in its own right and a very urbane addition to Columbus Circle. I visited the building when it was first built as the Gallery of Modern Art and was also delighted by its interiors. (The handsome wood-paneled galleries were pleasantly lighted by the porthole windows in the corners, and the galleries themselves were set-up in a downward cascading spiral pattern around the service core.) While everyone is, of course, entitled to their own taste, I find negative reactions to this building to be puzzling. One of the very first buildings to be designated a NYC landmark was the old Victorian gothic Jefferson Market Courthouse in Greenwhich Village -- which at the time was a soot-encrusted hulk bedecked in pigeon droppings. Ada Louise said about this building, something like, "If you can landmark this building, you can landmark anything." While I love old Jeff, I have to admit that for me THIS was an acquired taste (abetted by a thorough cleaning and sympathetic remodeling). I find 2 Columbus Circle, in contrast, to be very easy to like -- especially in comparison to many, many other buildings in quirky styles that have been landmarked in addition to old Jeff. Plus it would be great for NYC to be able to showcase three different "small" intact private museums, each of which illustrate a different approach to 20th Century musuem design by a distinguished 20th Century architect: the Guggenheim, the Whitney and 2 Columbus Circle.

bill

FYI: The organization is called the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

ozz

Have you ever had to work in one of these modernist prisons? Not a single damn window on the thing. It's an emblem of a time when designers thought their movements and their styles were more important than the environments they were creating for unfortunate people to inhabit. (Not that our time is necessarily any wiser). But if we're going to keep it, could we maybe just use it for storage? It'd make a fine mausoleum . . .

Erin

They must have taken down the ugly fence. Oddly, I just noticed it for the first time when I was walking past there last night. My first thought was, "Wow, that looks kind of out of place," especially in the shadow of the Time Warner Center. It's an odd-looking building, but New York is full of odd-looking buildings. I hope it stays as-is.

yojimbot

its a failure of modernist design. cool idea but lousy execution. it has to go.

Scott

I haven't seen it lately -- have they taken down that ugly fencing that surrounded the whole first level? That made it seem one step away from the wrecking ball.

David

I really hope nothing happens to this building. While I may not love the design, the fact that it is such a controversy makes it incredibly distinct. And like the Time Warner Center, it's the only other building that reinforces the shape of Columbus Circle. It's also a nice contrast to the surrounding buildings, including the Trump Building and those nasty looking ones along Central Park South.